Oakham Select Board Authorizes Wetlands Funds for Conservation Hearing, Hires Highway Worker

Select Board · Meeting of July 6, 2026

Oakham Select Board authorizes narrow wetlands fund expenditure as contested storage facility hearing looms. The board voted Monday to release an additional $500 from the town's roughly $10,000 Wetlands Protection Fund — built up over 31 years — to cover expert consultant attendance at a Conservation Commission NOI hearing scheduled for the following night involving a storage facility on Route 358 in Coldbrook whose applicant has refused to pay for peer review. Town Counsel Matt, present at the meeting, said the town's boards "need to have their experts and need to be able to run their hearings" as the dispute has drawn multiple commissions into litigation.

Conservation Commission representative Sean estimated total consultant costs at $7,500 against the remaining fund balance, with the larger payment question deferred to the July 20 meeting. The board also unanimously approved Robert Marble as a highway department labor truck driver at $26.18 an hour with a six-month probationary period, reappointed Fire Chief Timothy Howe and Conservation Commission member Steve Labar for one-year terms, and deferred a vote on highway equipment trade-ins pending town counsel confirmation of board authority.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,861 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of July 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.